Chris "Mad Dog" Russo joins Sirius XM, new channel

"It's official now Chris "Mad Dog" Russo has signed a five-year contract to headline a new sports-talk channel available on both Sirius and XM.

Sirius channel 123 and XM channel 144 - formally Sirius Sports Central and XM Sports Nation - will relaunch as Mad Dog Radio, a reformatted channel that will cover the spectrum of sports with engaging talk, high profile interviews, up-to-the-moment news and live remote broadcasts from the biggest sporting events.

Russo will host the channel's anchor program, "The Mad Dog Sports Show," live from Sirius' New York studios every weekday afternoon from 2 - 7pm ET.

The show will begin airing daily on Sirius channel 123 and XM channel 144 on Monday, September 15th. It will feature Russo's take on the biggest sports stories from around the country, plus listener calls and hard-hitting interviews with some of the most intriguing people in sports. Broadcasting simultaneously on Sirius channel 123 and XM channel 144, "The Mad Dog Sports Show" will be the first original show available both on Sirius and XM.

"Mad Dog's fans are passionate about their sports and passionate about where they get their sports news and commentary from -- these are the listeners that any audio entertainment company would want," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, Sirius XM Radio. "Having Mad Dog on Sirius and XM will fuel subscriber growth and create new and exciting opportunities for advertisers. Choose whatever sports analogy you want -- this is a big win."